Narrative Chronology

Timeline

This timeline shows when each case approximately occurs in the stories. Dates are intentionally ranged or seasonal when the record cannot support greater precision. Confidence describes the date placement, not the truth of a paranormal interpretation. Recording dates, source publication dates, and Dead Air release dates remain separate provenance.

  1. January 2015 — Initial Cedar Plain investigation

    Approximate date

    After the Main Fan Stops

    Diane Madsen wraps her keys in a towel before the student cameras start. At 3:30, another key sound comes from behind the fire door.

    Approximately January 2015; the sealed-corridor coda follows about three weeks later. This creative placement does not import the real source school's construction date or source publication date.

  2. Late February 2015 — Return investigation and attempted cleansing

    Approximate date

    The Name in the Room

    A documentary crew returns to Cedar Plain High for a final session with a medium. In the basement, equipment fails, a fire door moves, and a sound recording leaves much to interpretation.

    Approved fictional placement after DA-001. Source research reports the cleansing footage was filmed in early January 2015, so this deliberately diverges from source filming order; publication dates are not event dates.

  3. Summer 2017 — Harrow River investigation

    Seasonal placement

    The Recorder Kept Running

    Maren finds Jonah bleeding in an unfinished house with three pages he does not remember writing. Hours later, he asks her to take him back to Harrow River.

    Warm-season placement is supported by the source environment; exact filming date is unknown. Position after DA-002 and before DA-004 is calendar ordering only and establishes no causal or paranormal connection.

  4. September 2017 — Kestrel Hotel overnight investigation

    Approximate date

    Close Enough to Recognize

    Eli brings his father to the Kestrel Hotel hoping for one paranormal event they can share. Then they hear a knock pattern from an old family story.

    Approximate September 2017 placement, bounded more cautiously as late summer / early autumn. Conflicting source publication dates are provenance only; position after DA-003 establishes no causal or paranormal connection.